Artfully constructed and vividly detailed… Electrifying.
Cash continues The Battle of Darracia trilogy with this second installment with all the key players separated and searching for answers throughout the solar system. With Zayden on the trail of his uncle Staf Nuen and Tulani with her people, Prince V’sair is single handedly struggling to hold his broken kingdom together. But Staf Nuen is making evil alliances with immoral new allies. Will V’sair be able to hold it all together or lose in the face of an increasingly powerful enemy? Cash’s intriguing storyline of political manipulations versus individual resistance offers an excellent blend of SF and high fantasy imaginings—from the impossible futuristic technology to magic-powered fireblades as weapons of war, it is all there. The story can get heavy-handed, particulary when it comes to the protagonists’ inner turmoil. Both V’sair and Zayden, for example, are tortured souls, struggling to find a balance between duty and personal struggles. But any personal disquiet fits seamlessly into the narrative as V’sair and Zayden find strength and insight from the elements’ guiding energy to move forward in their quest. Cash’s futuristic vision of a society divided by race and class isn’t new, but it’s remarkably well realized. Throughout, introspection, romance, friendship, and familial bonds play out among the main protagonists. Along the way, Cash examines the violence, bloodshed, and cruelties of war, treachery, prejudice, love, greed, trust, and the lust for power while delving into questions of what is the real meaning of life and what is it that makes life truly meaningful. The result is a fascinating layering of SF, fantasy, and social critique which explores much more than just the backstory of an alien planet.
Collision
(The Battle for Darracia #2)
Michael Phillip Cash
Pub date March 10, 2014
ISBN 978-1495273483
Price $3.99 (USD) Paperback, $0.00 Kindle edition
